JAMB English Language 2015 Past Questions & Answers

This question is from the compulsory literature section, which tests your understanding of the recommended novel. The correct answer is C because this conversation occurs when Jimi finds his older brother, Wole, hiding in his room after secretly returning from university. Jimi is surprised and asks if their father knows he is back, confirming that Jimi spoke these words to Wole.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose option D by reversing the roles of the speaker and the listener if they cannot accurately recall the context of Wole's secret return home.

The correct option is 'rites' because it refers to the formal ceremonies or acts performed during an event like a burial. The phrase 'burial rites' is a standard expression for the ceremonies associated with burying the dead. The other words, 'right' (correct or a direction) and 'rights' (entitlements), do not fit the context of a burial ceremony.

Common mistake: Students may mistakenly choose 'rights' or 'right' because they are homophones (words that sound the same as 'rites') but have completely different meanings.

This question tests your detailed knowledge of the plot of 'The Last Days at Forcados High School'. In the story, when Jimi and Seyi went to the principal's office, they met Efua and her mother coming out. Efua's mother had just finished a meeting with the principal concerning Efua's troubles at the school.

Common mistake: A common mistake is to choose option C, confusing this scene with other events involving Caro and Nene, who were also key figures in the school's drama.

This question tests your detailed knowledge of the events in the recommended novel, 'The Last Days at Forcados High School'. In the story, when Wole visited Jimi's room, he saw and picked up a beautiful watch from Jimi's table. This action is a key detail in understanding Wole's character and his feelings towards Jimi.

Common mistake: Students might choose other options if they cannot accurately recall the specific item Wole picked up, as all the options are common items that could be found on a student's desk.

In the novel 'The Last Days at Forcados High School', Mr Bade is the mathematics teacher who is very strict and often uses a cane for discipline. Due to his reputation for flogging students, they nicknamed him 'cane'. This question tests your memory of the characters and their descriptions in the recommended literature text.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose Mr Solade, as he is another significant teacher, but he was the kind guidance counsellor, not the strict teacher known as 'cane'.

This question tests your knowledge of the correct spelling of a common English word. The correct spelling is 'privilege', which means a special right or advantage given to a person or group. All the other options are common but incorrect spellings.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'priviledge' because they confuse its spelling with words like 'knowledge' that end in '-dge'.

This question tests your detailed knowledge of the characters from the recommended literature text, 'The Last Days at Forcados High School'. In the novel, Efua comes to Lagos to live with her uncle, Jimi's father, and his wife, who is her aunt. The name of this aunt is Moni.

Common mistake: Students might mistakenly choose Mrs. Solade because she is another important adult female character who helps Efua, but she is the school's guidance counsellor, not her aunt.

The question asks for the word with the same vowel sound as in 'seat'. The underlined letters 'ea' in 'seat' produce the long vowel sound /i:/. Looking at the options, the word 'people' is the only one that contains the same long vowel sound /i:/. The other options have different sounds: 'hide' has the /aɪ/ sound, while 'peasant' and 'head' both have the short /e/ sound.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'peasant' or 'head' because they also have the 'ea' letter combination, but they fail to realize that this spelling produces a different sound (/e/) in those words.

The sentence requires a possessive pronoun to show that the 'choice' belongs to someone. The correct possessive pronoun is 'yours'. Unlike the possessive adjective 'your', which must be followed by a noun (e.g., 'your decision'), 'yours' can stand alone. The forms 'yours'' and 'your's' are incorrect because possessive pronouns like 'yours', 'hers', and 'its' never use an apostrophe.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly add an apostrophe to 'yours' because they confuse the rule for forming possessives with nouns (like 'John's book') with the rule for possessive pronouns.

The underlined letter 'a' in the word 'Pass' produces the long vowel sound /ɑː/, like the 'a' in 'father' or 'car'. When you pronounce the options, the word 'clerk' (pronounced /klɑːk/ in British English, which JAMB uses) has the same long /ɑː/ sound. The other options have different sounds: 'lass' and 'man' have the short /æ/ sound, and 'earth' has the /ɜː/ sound.

Common mistake: Students often mistakenly choose 'lass' because it rhymes with 'pass' and has a similar spelling, but they fail to recognize that its vowel sound is the short /æ/ sound, not the long /ɑː/ sound.